Bipartisan group of lawmakers works to free Durango family detained by ICE

9news.com · By Marilyn Moore · 6:16 PM MDT October 30, 2025

Sen. Bennet, Sen. Hickenlooper and Rep. Hurd are working together after a father and his two children were detained by ICE in Durango. DURANGO, Colo. — A bipartisan group of Colorado's congressional delegation is working together to free a Durango family that was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On Monday, ICE detained Fernando Jaramillo-Solano, his 12-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son on the way to their school, despite no criminal history and a pending asylum case. The detainment led to a two-day protest, which at times turned violent, outside an ICE administration building in Durango. At a special meeting with the Durango City Council on Thursday, staffers for Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper and Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd said they are working to get Jaramillo-Solano and his children released from an ICE detention center in Dilley, Texas. At the meeting, Durango Police Chief Brice Current said he requested that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation investigate the actions of federal agents after protesters were met with the use of chemical agents and physical force. Current said there were also agitators who threw objects and obstructed ICE agents. "The event Monday was not a peaceful protest," Current said. "It was an unlawful protest that turned into a riot." Current said two people were cited for their actions during the protest: One person who threw rocks at the ICE facility and a counter-protester who "sped dangerously" through the crowd. CBI confirmed Thursday it was investigating a video of a masked officer throwing a woman to the ground to determine whether the federal agent had violated state criminal law during the incident. The district attorney will decide whether to file criminal charges. Durango officials also said the FBI is looking into the incident because it occurred on federal property. Current said he tried multiple times to coordinate with ICE to release the children to their mother, but was told that was not possible. Current also said he tried to conduct a welfare check on the children and to bring them food, but was denied entry into the building. Protesters dispersed on Tuesday after the father and the two children were transported from the ICE facility in Durango. Current emphasized on Thursday that there are legal limits on how local police can interfere with federal officers. "Municipal police chiefs cannot lawfully interfere with federal officers who are acting within the scope of their local authority," Current said. "Chiefs cannot order municipal officers to obstruct or arrest federal agents performing lawful duties or create or enforce local ordinances that nullify or contradict federal law." Current said the incident is still under investigation and is requesting anyone who was there to send video and information to the Durango Police Department.